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LAPEL, Ind. (WISH) – High school senior and basketball player Griffin Craig is raising awareness and money for Type 1 diabetes research by making 1,000 free throws.

November is National Diabetes month, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Craig told News 8 he’s a shooting guard at Lapel High School and has Type 1 diabetes.

He’s stepping onto the court to not only compete but to use his platform to motivate others.

Nearly $3,000 has been raised for JDRF, a global organization that funds Type 1 diabetes.

Craig said he was diagnosed during his 8th grade basketball season and mentioned he was always thirsty, wasn’t very hungry and got really itchy during physical activity.

He later went to the hospital.

Craig said at the time he didn’t know how it would affect his life with basketball.

The basketball player added with hard work you can do whatever you put your mind to, though it’s been a tough road.

“You can still eat whatever you want and it’s not the end of the world. It’s not like something really bad, you’re not going to die because of it as long as you take really good care of yourself,” said Craig . “You can still do everything a person that doesn’t have it can do.”

Craig mentioned he doesn’t let diabetes define him despite having to keep his blood sugar at a good level to play at a high level.

He added the support from his family and teammates is what keeps him going.

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — Earlier this month, a big roar came from a small town 35 miles northeast of Indianapolis. 

Just shy of 3,000 Hoosiers call Lapel home, and, on this occasion, nearly everyone agreed this story deserved its own parade.

“It’s nice to come from a small school and community because you know everyone, and everyone is just proud,” Lapel High School sophomore golfer Macy Beeson said. 

Beeson humbly accepted the spotlight following her triumph at the 2020 IHSAA Girls Golf State Tournament at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel. 

This past Friday, she cruised in the back of a convertible as the Bulldogs marching band led a celebration through the town’s downtown streets. 

Beeson, nowhere near the most physically imposing player in the field, let her putter do the talking over the two-day state tournament.

Her 36-hole score of 2-over-par 146 bested Carmel freshman Michaela Headlee by one shot. 

Headlee’s feverish, second-round comeback ended with a missed birdie try on the 18th hole, which would have forced a playoff.

“I told my coach, I told my dad, that I just wanted to play simple golf,” Beeson said. “Coach and I have this saying, ‘Fairways, greens, birdies’ and I just wasn’t trying to put pressure on myself.”

The trickiest part of locking up the IHSAA individual state title? The waiting.

Due to the Bulldogs not qualifying in the team competition, Beeson’s tee time was bright and early, with Carmel’s Headlee going off toward the very end of the tee sheet.

“It was about three hours we waited,” Beeson said. “It was really close as we watched them, so I went back to the range and I just did my whole warm-up routine again.”

“It was probably the longest three hours of my life.”

Lapel, which showed up in force with the full Bulldogs tennis team alongside fellow local supporters, celebrated with a post-round photo that certainly will find its way to the school’s athletic hall of fame. 

“A lot of tears, a lot of hard work, it’s a rollercoaster literally,” Macy’s father, Ryan Beeson, told News 8. “She has the god-gifted ability to do it.”

“I started crying, all my hard work is paying off,” Beeson said. “It just feels good.”

Waiting around isn’t so bad when your entire hometown is right behind you.

UPDATE

Francisco Martinez Hernandez was formally charged March 12 in Madison Circuit Court 5 with intimidation where threat is to commit a forcible felony. A pretrial conference is set for May 14.PREVIOUS

ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) — A 19-year-old is in jail after he commented to another student Thursday, Feb. 22, about his access to guns and plans to shoot up the school, the Madison County sheriff said.

Francisco Martinez Hernandez, of Anderson, made the comments at the the Frankton-Lapel district’s alternative school, which in the district’s administration building, said the sheriff and Superintendent Bobby Fields. The student excused herself from class and went to Assistant Superintendent Sterling Boles. Boles called the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Fields said.

The call came in to the sheriff’s office at 9:53 a.m. Thursday, said a news release from the sheriff’s office.

The alternative school provides online classes for high school juniors and seniors who need additional credits to graduate, Fields said.

The school superintendent said the sheriff’s office is investigating to determine if the threat is credible. However, Fields said, the district acts on all threats as if they are credible. The superintendent sent an email to parents later Thursday that encouraged them to talk with their children about not making such threats, even just as comments.

Martinez-Hernandez admitted to police that he told another student he had access to guns and plans to shoot up the school. Martinez-Hernandez was preliminarily charged with intimidation and was being held in the Madison County Detention Center, the release said. The Madison County prosecutor would decide on formal charges.

The administration building where the alternative school is located sits about 2 miles northwest of Anderson at the intersection of county roads 800 West and 300 North.

ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) — The deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were found Thursday in Lapel, a rural part of Madison County, were ruled a murder-suicide on Saturday.

The Indianapolis couple last seen Dec. 17 – 22-year-old Heavan Henderson and her boyfriend, 23-year old Jeremy Danowski – grew up in the Lapel area. Their car was found Dec. 18 in a Lapel park with a receipt for a gun purchase from an Indianapolis store.

Heavan Henderson suffered three gunshot wounds to the neck and was ruled a homicide, while Jeremy Danowski had a single gunshot wound to the head and was ruled a suicide, according to Madison County Coroner Marian Dunnichay.

A handgun found near the bodies, which had been along the fence row “for several weeks,” the sheriff said, was determined to be the one the couple had purchased, according to a Thursday night press conference with the Madison County sheriff.

LAPEL, Ind. (WISH) — Two bodies found Thursday afternoon in rural Madison County are an Indianapolis couple, the sheriff said.

In a news conference at Lapel Town Hall on Thursday night, Sheriff Scott Mellinger said one assumption is it’s a murder-suicide, but added that the sheriff’s department did not have other possible avenues to consider at this time.

The Indianapolis couple last seen Dec. 17 — 22-year-old Heavan Henderson and her boyfriend, 23-year old Jeremy Danowski — grew up in the Lapel area. Their car was found Dec. 18 in a Lapel park with a receipt for a gun purchase from an Indianapolis store.

A handgun found near the bodies, which had been along the fence row “for several weeks,” the sheriff said, was determined to be the one the couple had purchased. Two spent shells were found on the ground near the bodies.

A snowmobiler called 911 after finding the bodies on a fence row about 4:15 p.m. about 250 yards off County Road 200 South between county roads 825 West and 700 West, which is about a mile east of Lapel.

“The question in these cases every time comes down to why, and I don’t think anyone can make an accurate guess on what was going on in one or both of these two young persons’ minds,” Mellinger said at the news conference.

A news release from the sheriff’s department said, “From all appearances the couple could have been there since the time they were reported missing. There is no indication at this point that any other person might have been involved.”

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — 24-Hour News 8’s Ken Brewer brings you the latest updates on severe weather in central Indiana.

Warnings issued Friday:

A severe thunderstorm warning issued for Marion and Hendricks counties ended at 4:30 p.m.

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LAPEL, Ind. (AP) – Authorities say a husband and wife in their 80s are among three people who died in a head-on crash on a central Indiana highway.The crash occurred on State Road 32 between Anderson and the town of Lapel about 3:15 p.m. Thursday.

The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin reports the Madison County coroner says 85-year-old John G. Hurley of Anderson and his 84-year-old wife, Virginia, died following the crash along with 78-year-old Hal Eugene Montgomery of Westfield.

The couple died at the scene and Montgomery died at a hospital.

Madison County Sheriff Scott Mellinger says the Hurleys were in a car and Montgomery was in a minivan. A witness told authorities the Hurleys’ car crossed the center line before the crash. The crash is under investigation.

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LAPEL, Ind. (WISH) – The Lapel boys basketball team earned a special gift this week from LeBron James.

The Bulldogs won state last season so the NBA superstar decided to congratulate them.

LeBron and Nike sent the team new shoes, new shirts and a letter.

The letters says, “Bulldogs, you had big losses before the state tournament. Everyone smelled blood in the water. They underestimated the school of 500 once and you made them pay. Enjoy the firetruck escort because you can bet they won’t do it again. I’ll be watching. LeBron.”

“He took his time and actually looked up how many kids we have,” senior Jon Richardson said. “It also shows that even a small school like us can get attention.”

The Bulldogs made a thank you video and they plan to send it to LeBron.

Coach Jimmy Howell said Nike and LeBron are sending gifts to state championship teams who have shoe deals with Nike.

The Bulldogs will wear the shoes on game day for the first time Friday night. They’ll take on Pendleton Heights after Lapel unveils their new state championship banner.

LAPEL, Ind. (WISH) — Father-son bonding happens on the course for amateur golfer Landon Paddock. Dad taught him the game from scratch, and his guidance and skill paid dividends.  The Lapel native played in high school and college and years later, never dreamed of playing an international competition 10,000 miles away.

“That’s just a once in a lifetime experience to play golf with people from Spain, Slovakia, Taiwan and everywhere all around the world,” said Landon.

This spring, Landon played in the BMW Golf Cup World Finals in Sydney, Australia.  Wins at a regional tournament in French Lick and the U.S. Finals at the legendary Pinehurst Country Club sent him on to the prestigious amateur golf tournament, where he competed against players from 45 different countries.

“(It’s) once in a lifetime because they literally tell you if you’re at the World Finals it’s the only time you can be there. Amazing trip, I don’t know when I will ever be in front of people from 44 different countries again. “

And dad came with him, not as his biggest fan, but his caddy once again.

“It was an awesome experience,” said his father, Dan. “I didn’t expect to caddy.  I figured they would get a local caddy, someone who had course knowledge  and when I was able to caddy, that was icing on the cake.”

“Having my dad as a caddy is one of those love/hate relationship type things,” said Landon. ” I’m 32-years-old, but we’re like brothers sometimes, where we’ll argue and compete.”

His goal: to make the weekend cut. He more than achieved that by finishing seventh in the world.

That once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has now paved way for another. He’ll play in the BMW Pro-Am with one of the world’s best golfers just days before this year’s BMW Championship in Chicago. He’s hoping to land Jordan Spieth as a partner.

EDGEWOOD, Ind. (WISH) – A suspended Edgewood police officer accused of a causing a deadly crash in April did not show up for a hearing on Monday.

A Madison County judge told James D. Foutch’s public defender that he needs to attend all future hearings or a warrant will be issued. Monday’s hearing was about the use of evidence and expert witnesses in the case.

Foutch is accused of crashing his vehicle into a car driven by Rebecca Sperry on Indiana 32 between Anderson and Lapel. The crash killed 23-year-old Jesse Sperry, who was a passenger in the vehicle. Rebecca, who was 9 months pregnant, was seriously hurt.

The couple’s daughter was born by emergency C-section following the crash.

Foutch remains on administrative leave without pay, 24-Hour News 8’s news partners at The Herald Bulletin report. A court date has been set for September.